An effort is under way to make peace in the dogfight over Henry's Law.

Language that Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, is expected to release today seeks some middle ground in the passionate fight over how to protect animals from torture.

A milder bill in the Senate is being blasted by animal rights activists and the sponsor of the two competing Senate bills, who vowed this past summer to try to work out a solution, have stopped talking.

Allen, meantime, has been working with Utah prosecutors on a bill that would give them more discretion in how to pursue animal abusers....

Under her HB470, prosecutors could seek an enhanced penalty against an abuser who tortures an animal as part of a domestic violence incident or in the presence of a child, raising the severity of the charge and potential sentence the perpetrator could face. It also would protect veterinarians who report animal abuse cases from civil liability.